A fox who dreams of being a hedgehog
Sep. 13th, 2011 09:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sawylThanks to the strange combination of Lev Grossman and Isaiah Berlin, I've had a sudden revelation. Normally whenever I want to do something or find that I don't know something, I wish myself more intelligent: I say to myself, "If only I was slightly cleverer, I could be a brilliant [mathematician, pianist, poet, or whatever my current obsession may be]..."
But, thanks to Julia in The Magician King, I've realised my mistake. My problem isn't one of native intelligence, for I find that I'm generally clever enough to do whatever catches my interest. Rather, I'm held back by my dilettantish lack of obsession: that, rather than focusing on my current interest for long enough to become good at it it, I'm all too often distracted by the next sparkly thing that catches my attention. As Berlin has it, I'm a fox. But a fox who wants to be a hedgehog. A hedgehog with many obsessions.
I've also finally realised that it isn't possible to know everything and read everything and be brilliant at everything all at the same time and that perhaps I ought to stop trying and just focus on a handful of things that really interest me. I wonder if this might just be a belated sign of maturity setting in?
But, thanks to Julia in The Magician King, I've realised my mistake. My problem isn't one of native intelligence, for I find that I'm generally clever enough to do whatever catches my interest. Rather, I'm held back by my dilettantish lack of obsession: that, rather than focusing on my current interest for long enough to become good at it it, I'm all too often distracted by the next sparkly thing that catches my attention. As Berlin has it, I'm a fox. But a fox who wants to be a hedgehog. A hedgehog with many obsessions.
I've also finally realised that it isn't possible to know everything and read everything and be brilliant at everything all at the same time and that perhaps I ought to stop trying and just focus on a handful of things that really interest me. I wonder if this might just be a belated sign of maturity setting in?
